Abandoned New York: Granville House

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Granville, NY

Sometimes a house catches your eye and you have to make a U-turn to take a better look. Been there, done that, right? Well, this house in Granville, NY on Route 22 caught my eye. It’s so neat and well-kept, that I couldn’t quite decide what was going on. But it appears that a restoration project has stalled. Have you seen this house? Do you know anything about it?

 

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Slate embedded in the sidewalk matches the house.

 

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Zooming in, it’s not in the best of shape. Missing windows, missing soffits, porch roof in need of help. Yet, look at the details in the porch.

 

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I couldn’t quite call this abandoned as it’s so neat and tidy, perhaps just the restoration is neglected?

 

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The detail remains intact.

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I’d love to know the history and current status of this house.

12 thoughts on “Abandoned New York: Granville House”

  2. Centralia Heart says:
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    Have you called Town Hall or the historical society? Or even try a local realtor. Someone must know what is going on. Perhaps an elderly person lives there alone.

  3. Chuck Green says:
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    That house was built by Franklin and Ellen Pember in, I believe, 1874. I could be off on the year, He was raised, if not born, on a farm in South Granville on State Route 149 heading towards Hartford. When they built the house in town, they sold the farm to Franklin’s dousin Joseph. He had three children. Inez, Clara and John. Inez died there in the early 1930’s. Both her and sister Clara were school teachers. Clara married Leon Duel in 1915 who was born on the Duel Homestead on Lily Pond Rd about a mile or so from the Pember Homestead. They lived there pretty much until there deaths. Clara died in the GV Hospital, which is now the Sheldon Mansion B&B on North Street in 1957. Leon died about five years later at the Indian Valley Nursing Home.

    Franklin and Ellen(they both died in 1924) are buried in the Wood family plot in the Mettowee Cemetery in GV. Ellen was the daughter of David Wood whose wife’s name escapes me at the moment. Leon and Clara are buried in the same cemetery not far from Franklin and Ellen, in the Joseph Pember family plot.

    Both Franklin and Ellen were quite active members of the community. They built the Pember Opera ar 1 Main Street in 1901 and the Pember Library and Museum on West Main Street in 1909.

    Friends in GV that I have talked to have no clue as to what is happening, or more to the point not, with the former Pember Residence.

    I make no no claim to the Pember Family except that Leon and Clara(nee Pember Duel mentioned above were my adopted Grandparents. I loved them dearly and still miss them to this day. For me and my parents(both deceased now), when there, was being home…

  4. Ashleigh Davidson says:
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    Hi! So I actually do know the status of the house, my brother did a walk-through a few months ago and drew up blueprints in an effort to determine the original floorplan. He is an architect and very personally invested in this home’s hopeful restoration – he actually found the owners and reached out to them about why restoration had halted. We both grew up in that town and have long family roots – Lee road in town is actually named for my mother’s family, and she was born in the old GV hospital that’s now a B&B. We had a great discussion looking at floor plan sketches and the changes this house has been through. The apparent grand staircase was cut and walled in and appears the kitchen was moved during its remodeling as a boarding school for music I believe. The last owner began restoration but halted. Feel free to email if you want more detailed info, my brother has done extensive research and was actually hoping to one day effectively restore to the original plans. Email is Ashleigh.t.davidson@gmail.com

    • Centralia Heart says:
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      I used to live in a house that looked somewhat like the one in Granville. You can see it. Google 123 William Street, Catskill NY. The windows to the left on the second floor was my bedroom. And, yes, it was terribly haunted and written up in David Pitkin’s Ghosts of New York State Vol 2.

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